Independence of components in absorbent articles

ABSTRACT

An absorbent article which minimizes or avoid component bonding within the interior area thereof is provided to improve or increase the independence of the components which constitute the article.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part application of applicationSer. No. 09/698,517, filed on 27 Oct. 2000. The co-pending parentapplication is hereby incorporated by reference herein and is made apart hereof, including but not limited to those portions whichspecifically appear hereinafter.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to absorbent articles for absorbingbody fluids and exudates.

One aspect of the present invention more particularly relates to suchabsorbent articles which desirably self-form seals at natural body hingepoints of a wearer.

Another aspect of the present invention more particularly relates tosuch absorbent articles which generally desirably provide improved orincreased independence of the components thereof.

Still another aspect of the present invention more particularly relatesto such absorbent articles which include in-captured leg elastics suchas may desirably simplify manufacture and production and the costsassociated therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of types of structures are known in the art for use in oras absorbent articles, particularly disposable absorbent articles, suchas used to collect various body fluids and exudates. In particular,various commercial absorbent articles having a pant-like form are knownand/or available. For example, typical such commercial absorbentarticles include: adult incontinence garments, diapers for infant andchildren, training pants and swim wear garments.

Disposable articles of these types generally comprise components forreceiving, absorbing and retaining fluids. Typically, the components ofsuch articles include a liquid permeable topsheet, an absorbent core anda liquid impermeable backsheet.

The human body is generally composed of a plurality of compound, asopposed to unidirectional, curves. The curves of the human body areparticularly complicated at locations where limbs, such as arms andlegs, join the torso. The curves can also be associated with hingepoints of the body. For example, the curves associated with where thelegs join the torso define hinge areas that are capable of moving inrelationship to each other. When an absorbent article is donned by awearer, the hinge areas (such as the leg and waist openings) are definedby compound curves—not straight lines. Hinge areas tend to be the areasof absorbent articles that are most susceptible to leakage. Conventionalabsorbent articles, however, are primarily rectangular in shape and thusprovide limited curvature in their components. Consequently,conventional absorbent articles are generally not optimal for providingclose-fitting seals between the edges of the absorbent article and theskin of the wearer. As a result, undesirable leakages may occur or beexperienced with the use of such absorbent articles. In an effort tocompensate for the lack of a close, custom fit and to provide desired orrequired skin coverage, conventional absorbent articles commonlyincorporate certain oversized components or elements, such asrectangular absorbent pads in the crotch region or area of the article.

Present day diapers commonly include stretchable side panels such thatthe garment is better able to conform to the contours of the body of thewearer. Other components of such present day articles, such as outercovers, bodyside liners and absorbent assemblies, for example, however,typically remain totally or at least primarily non-extensible orunstretchable. As a result, when such a garment is worn, only the sidepanels can stretch.

In addition, such absorbent article garments and/or specific portionsthereof are typically subjected to a wide range of stresses such as mayvary dependent on the size and movements of the wearer. Unfortunately,however, various conventional diapers do not allow or permit thesestresses to be relieved except by degradation of fit. Further, where thestresses are not appropriately relieved, the wearer may experiencediscomfort as well as red-marking of or on the skin of the wearer. Aswill be appreciated, fit degradation commonly results or produces aconcomitant degradation in the protection against leakage provided bythe diaper article. Further, when such conventional diapers degrade withextended wear time, the side panels typically narrow such as toconcentrate forces along the sides at the fastening region of thediaper. The resulting high force loads on the fastening region of thediaper often leads to fastener failure, further or increased wearerdiscomfort, and/or further or increased red-marking of the skin of thewearer.

Also, as a result of a general inability for many diaper designs toadapt to differences in infant shapes, some conventional diapers aredifficult to apply onto an intended wearer. Further difficulty may beencountered by the tendency of a conventional diaper to fold back onitself or otherwise curl-up prior to application to an infant. Also,many conventional diapers do not hold the target area portions of theliner and absorbent desirably sufficiently close to the body, thusresulting in increased opportunity for bodily wastes to spread along theskin before such bodily wastes have been appropriately absorbed by or inthe diaper.

Further, it is common for diaper articles to include waist elasticmembers and leg elastic members, respectively, in an effort to enhancecontainment and/or absorption of body exudates. The outer cover andbodyside liner components of present day absorbent articles, such asdiapers, are generally not made of elastic or stretchable materials. Inmost commercial products, such leg elastics are captured between theouter cover and the liner which results in the outer cover and the linernecessarily being wider and longer than the torso measurements in orderto be capable of appropriately accommodating the stresses applied on thechassis when the product has been positioned in the crotch region of awearer. In addition, in such designs the leg elastics are well beyond(outboard) of the natural bodylines in the crotch region. Also, the legelastic can be placed in a curved orientation so as to conform to thecurved contour typically created by the absorbent article chassis toprovide a respective opening wherethrough a leg of the wearer may pass.

In view of the above, there is a need and a demand for improvedabsorbent articles.

In particular, there is a need and a demand for absorbent articles, suchas form-fitting, pant-like, personal care absorbent garments, whichdesirably self-form seals at natural body hinge points of a wearer.

There is a further need and desire for such absorbent articles whichgenerally desirably provide improved or increased independence of thecomponents thereof.

There is a still further need and demand for such absorbent articleswhich include in-captured leg elastics such as may desirably simplifyeither or both manufacture and production and the costs associatedtherewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved absorbentarticle for absorbing body fluids and exudates.

A more specific objective of the invention is to overcome one or more ofthe problems described above.

As detailed below, the general object of the invention can generally beattained through various specifically constructed absorbent articles.Absorbent articles, in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention, generally have or include a front waist area forming a frontedge, a back waist area forming a back edge, and a crotch area disposedbetween the front and back waist areas.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the general objectof the invention can be attained, at least in part, through aself-forming seal absorbent article adapted to be worn by a wearerhaving a body contour. Such an absorbent article includes a chassishaving opposed first and second longitudinal sides and opposed first andsecond lateral sides. The chassis also provides a footprint contouradapted to match the body contour of a wearer of the absorbent article.In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the chassis includes abiaxially extensible outer cover, a biaxially extensible bodyside linerforming a wearer adjacent surface, a biaxially extensible absorbent coreassembly interposed between the outer cover and the bodyside liner, anda pair of laterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extendingcontainment flap members disposed along the wearer adjacent surface ofthe bodyside liner, each of the containment flap members comprises amaterial extensible in at least one of the longitudinal and lateraldirections.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the generalobject of the invention can be attained, at least in part, through anabsorbent article which includes a chassis having opposed first andsecond longitudinal sides, opposed first and second lateral sides, anoriginal longitudinal length, an original lateral length and whichchassis has components including: an outer cover, a bodyside liner andan absorbent core assembly interposed between the outer cover and thebodyside liner. In such an article of construction, the outer coverforms a cover perimeter and the bodyside liner forms a wearer adjacentsurface and a liner perimeter. Further, the chassis includes a perimeterarea and an interior area, wherein the perimeter area is defined atleast in part by the cover perimeter and the liner perimeter and whereinthe interior area is free of bonding.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the generalobject of the invention can be attained, at least in part, through anabsorbent article which includes a chassis having opposed first andsecond longitudinal sides, opposed first and second lateral sides, anoriginal longitudinal length, an original lateral length and whichchassis defines first and second leg openings and includes: a biaxiallyextensible outer cover, a biaxially extensible bodyside liner forming awearer adjacent surface, an absorbent core assembly interposed betweenthe biaxially extensible outer cover and the biaxially extensiblebodyside liner, a first leg elastic member captured between thebiaxially extensible outer cover and the biaxially extensible bodysideliner along the first lateral side of the chassis and a second legelastic member captured between the biaxially extensible outer cover andthe biaxially extensible bodyside liner along the second lateral side ofthe chassis.

The prior art generally fails to provide a design or construction forabsorbent articles that desirably provides or results in form-fitting,pant-like, personal care absorbent garments, which desirably self-formseals at natural body hinge points of a wearer. Further, the prior artgenerally fails to provide a design or construction for absorbentarticles that provide improved or increased independence of thecomponents thereof to the extent desired in various applications. Stillfurther, the prior art generally fails to provide a design orconstruction for absorbent articles that desirably include in-capturedleg elastics such as may desirably simplify either or both manufactureand production of the absorbent article and reduce the costs associatedtherewith.

With the absorbent articles of the invention, the area of the articleincluding all of the chassis components (e.g., outer cover, absorbentcore and liner) is generally reduced. It is particularly desirable toreduce the number of materials present in the areas of the leg and waistopenings. The assembly of complete chassis materials can be replacedwith thinner and more pliable materials capable of curving andconforming with the hinge areas. The seals formed by such materials tendnot to form rugosities, bunching, folding, curling or other deformationof the material that can interfere with the article's performance.Self-forming seals can adjust to the shape of individual wearers.

The invention further comprehends a self-forming seal absorbent articlesuch that includes a chassis having opposed first and secondlongitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateral sides. Thechassis also has an original longitudinal length and an original laterallength. The chassis further also provides a footprint contour adapted tomatch the body contour of a wearer of the absorbent article.

More particularly, such a chassis may desirably include: a biaxiallystretchable outer cover, a biaxially stretchable bodyside liner forminga wearer adjacent surface, a biaxially stretchable absorbent coreassembly interposed between the outer cover and the bodyside liner, anda pair of laterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extendingcontainment flap members disposed along the wearer adjacent surface ofthe bodyside liner, each of the containment flap members beingextensible in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions.In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention,such a chassis can be longitudinally stretched at least 5 percent and upto 150 percent of its original longitudinal length and laterallystretched at least 10 percent and up to 200 percent of its originallateral length.

The invention also comprehends an absorbent article such as adapted tobe worn by a wearer and which absorbent article includes a front waistarea forming a front edge, a back waist area forming a back edge, and acrotch area disposed between the front and back waist areas. Theabsorbent article also includes a chassis. The chassis has opposed firstand second longitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateralsides. The chassis also has an original longitudinal length and anoriginal lateral length. The chassis further comprises componentsincluding; an outer cover forming a cover perimeter, a bodyside linerforming a wearer adjacent surface and a liner perimeter, and anabsorbent core assembly interposed between the outer cover and thebodyside liner. The chassis includes a perimeter area and an interiorarea, wherein the perimeter area is defined at least in part by thecover perimeter and the liner perimeter and wherein the interior area isfree of bonding.

The invention further comprehends a self-forming seal absorbent articleadapted to be worn by a wearer having a body contour and which absorbentarticle including a front waist area forming a front edge, a back waistarea forming a back edge, and a crotch area disposed between the frontand back waist areas. The absorbent article includes a chassis havingopposed first and second longitudinal sides and opposed first and secondlateral sides. The chassis also provides a footprint contour adapted tomatch the body contour of a wearer of the absorbent article. The chassisincludes a biaxially extensible outer cover, a biaxially extensiblebodyside liner forming a wearer adjacent surface, a biaxially extensibleabsorbent core assembly interposed between the outer cover and thebodyside liner, and a pair of laterally-spaced apart andlongitudinally-extending containment flap members disposed along thewearer adjacent surface of the bodyside liner, each of the containmentflap members comprises a material extensible in at least one of thelongitudinal and lateral directions. The chassis includes a perimeterarea and an interior area, wherein the perimeter area is defined atleast in part by the cover perimeter and the liner perimeter and whereinthe interior area is free of bonding.

The invention still further comprehends a self-forming seal absorbentarticle adapted to be worn by a wearer having a body contour. Theabsorbent article includes a front waist area forming a front edge, aback waist area forming a back edge, and a crotch area disposed betweenthe front and back waist areas. The absorbent article further includes abiaxially stretchable chassis having opposed first and secondlongitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateral sides. Thechassis has an original longitudinal length and an original laterallength. The chassis also provides a footprint contour adapted to matchthe body contour of a wearer of the absorbent article. The chassisincludes: a biaxially stretchable outer cover, a biaxially stretchablebodyside liner forming a wearer adjacent surface, a biaxiallystretchable absorbent core assembly interposed between the outer coverand the bodyside liner, and a pair of laterally-spaced apart andlongitudinally-extending containment flap members disposed along thewearer adjacent surface of the bodyside liner, each of the containmentflap members being extensible in at least one of the longitudinal andlateral directions. The further includes a perimeter area and aninterior area, wherein the perimeter area is defined at least in part bythe cover perimeter and the liner perimeter and wherein the interiorarea is free of bonding. Further, the chassis can be longitudinallystretched at least 5 percent and up to 150 percent of its originallongitudinal length and laterally stretched at least 10 percent and upto 200 percent of its original lateral length.

The invention additionally comprehends an absorbent article adapted tobe worn by a wearer and which absorbent article has a front waist areaforming a front edge, a back waist area forming a back edge, and acrotch area disposed between the front and back waist areas. Theabsorbent article also includes a chassis having opposed first andsecond longitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateral sides.The chassis has an original longitudinal length and an original laterallength. The chassis defines first and second leg openings. The chassisincludes: a biaxially extensible outer cover, a biaxially extensiblebodyside liner forming a wearer adjacent surface, an absorbent coreassembly interposed between the biaxially extensible outer cover and thebiaxially extensible bodyside liner, a first leg elastic member capturedbetween the biaxially extensible outer cover and the biaxiallyextensible bodyside liner along the first longitudinal side of thechassis and a second leg elastic member captured between the biaxiallyextensible outer cover and the biaxially extensible bodyside liner alongthe second longitudinal side of the chassis.

The invention additionally further comprehends such an absorbent articlewherein each of the first and second longitudinal sides forms a straightedge and wherein at least one of the first and second leg elasticmembers comprises an elastic film material.

As used herein, “extensible” and the like refer to that property of amaterial, member, element or composite by virtue of which it tends to beextended beyond its original size and shape upon application of a forcecausing a deformation.

Further, “stretchable” and the like refer to that property of amaterial, member, element or composite by virtue of which it tends torecover its original size and shape after removal of a force causing adeformation. In connection therewith, “elastic,” “elasticized,”“elasticity” and the like also generally refer to that property of amaterial, member, element or composite by virtue of which it tends torecover its original size and shape after removal of a force causing adeformation.

“Biaxial extensibility” refers to a material having extensibility in twodirections perpendicular to one another, e.g., extensibility in amachine direction and in a cross direction, or in a longitudinaldirection (front to back) and a lateral direction (side to side).

“Biaxial stretch” refers to a material having stretchability in twodirections perpendicular to one another, e.g., stretchability in amachine direction and in a cross direction, or in a longitudinaldirection (front to back) and a lateral direction (side to side).

“Bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bondedtogether when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly toone another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediateelements.

“Layer,” when used herein in the singular, can have the dual meaning ofa single element or a plurality of elements.

“Longitudinal” and “lateral” have their customary meaning, as indicatedby the longitudinal and lateral axes depicted in FIG. 2. Thelongitudinal axis lies in the plane of the article and is generallyparallel to a vertical plane that bisects a standing wearer into leftand right body halves when the article is worn. The lateral axis lies inthe plane of the article generally perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis. The article as illustrated is longer in the longitudinal directionthan in the lateral direction.

“Longitudinal extensibility” refers to extensibility in the longitudinaldirection along the longitudinal axis.

“Longitudinal stretch” refers to stretchability in the longitudinaldirection along the longitudinal axis.

“Meltblown fiber” means fibers formed by extruding a moltenthermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular,die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging highvelocity heated gas (e.g., air) streams which attenuate the filaments ofmolten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be tomicrofiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by thehigh velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface toform a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process isdisclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin et al.Meltblown fibers are microfibers which may be continuous ordiscontinuous, are generally smaller than about 0.6 decitex, and aregenerally self-bonding when deposited onto a collecting surface.Meltblown fibers used in the present invention are preferablysubstantially continuous in length.

“Microfibers” are small diameter fibers typically having an averagefiber denier of about 0.005-10. Fiber denier is defined as grams per9000 meters of a fiber. For a fiber having circular cross-section,denier may be calculated as fiber diameter in microns squared,multiplied by the density in grams/cc, multiplied by 0.00707. For fibersmade of the same polymer, a lower denier indicates a finer fiber and ahigher denier indicates a thicker or heavier fiber. For example, thediameter of a polypropylene fiber given as 15 microns may be convertedto denier by squaring, multiplying the result by 0.89 g/cc andmultiplying by 0.00707. Thus, a 15 micron polypropylene fiber has adenier of about 1.42 calculated as (15²×0.89×0.00707=1.415). Outside theUnited States the unit of measurement is more commonly the “tex,” whichis defined as the grams per kilometer of fiber. Tex may be calculated asdenier/9. A decitex is 0.1 of a tex.

“Necked” or “neck-stretched” interchangeably refer to a method ofelongating a nonwoven fabric, generally in the longitudinal, or machinedirection, to reduce its width in a controlled manner to a desiredamount. The controlled stretching may take place under cool, roomtemperature or greater temperatures and is limited to an increase inoverall dimension in the direction being stretched up to the elongationrequired to break the fabric, which in most cases is about 1.2 to 1.4times. When relaxed, the web retracts toward its original dimensions.Such a process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,513 toMeitner and Notheis, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,122, 4,981,747 and 5,114,781to Morman and U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,482 to Hassenboehler Jr. et al.

“Nonwoven” and “nonwoven web” refer to fibrous materials and webs offibrous material which are formed without the aid of a textile weavingor knitting process.

“Superabsorbent” or “superabsorbent material” refers to awater-swellable, water-insoluble organic or inorganic material capable,under the most favorable conditions, of absorbing at least about 15times its weight and, more desirably, at least about 30 times its weightin an aqueous solution containing 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride.The superabsorbent materials can be natural, synthetic and modifiednatural polymers and materials. In addition, the superabsorbentmaterials can be inorganic materials, such as silica gels, or organiccompounds such as cross-linked polymers.

“Surface” includes any layer, film, woven, nonwoven, laminate,composite, or the like, whether pervious or impervious to air, gas,and/or liquids.

“Thermoplastic” describes a polymer material that softens and flows whenexposed to sufficient heat and which substantially returns to anonsoftened condition when cooled to room temperature.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in theart from the following detailed description taken in conjunction withthe appended claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an absorbent garment article, inaccordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, in a fastenedposition.

FIG. 2 is a simplified plan schematic view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 1 and showing the surface of the article thatfaces the wearer when the article is worn.

FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view of the footprint contour of the chassisof the absorbent garment article, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, shown inisolation.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an absorbent assembly suitable foruse in the absorbent garment article shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic plan view showing absorbent assemblyseals in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic plan view showing chassis perimeterseals for an absorbent garment article in accordance with one preferredembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic plan view showing chassis perimeterseals for an absorbent garment article in accordance with anotherpreferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic plan view showing chassis perimeterseals for an absorbent garment article including containment flaps, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a simplified plan schematic view, similar to the view shown inFIG. 2, but now showing an absorbent garment article in accordance withanother preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a simplified plan schematic view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 9 and now showing the surface of the article thatfaces away from the wearer when the article is worn.

FIG. 11 is a simplified frontal perspective view of the absorbentgarment article shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as it is applied to the torso ofa wearer.

FIG. 12 is a corresponding simplified frontal perspective view of aprior art absorbent garment article which makes use of straight legelastics as it is applied to the torso of a wearer.

FIG. 13 is a simplified side perspective view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 11 as it is applied to the torso of a wearer.

FIG. 14 is a corresponding simplified side perspective view of the priorart absorbent garment article shown in FIG. 12 as applied to the torsoof a wearer.

FIG. 15 is a simplified side perspective view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 11 as it is applied to the torso of a wearer andshowing the inner containment flap.

FIG. 16 is a corresponding simplified side perspective view of the priorart absorbent garment article shown in FIG. 12 as applied to the torsoof a wearer and showing the inner containment flap thereof.

FIG. 17 is a simplified side perspective view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 1 as it is applied to the torso of a wearer andshowing the leg seal formed thereby.

FIG. 18 is a corresponding simplified side perspective view of the priorart absorbent garment article shown in FIG. 12 as applied to the torsoof a wearer and showing the leg seal formed thereby.

FIG. 19 is a simplified back perspective view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 11 as it is applied to the torso of a wearer.

FIG. 20 is a corresponding simplified back perspective view of a priorart absorbent garment article as it is applied to the torso of a wearer.

FIGS. 21-25 are simplified front, side, side showing the innercontainment flap, side showing the leg seal formed thereby and backperspective view of the absorbent garment article shown in FIGS. 1 and 2and generally corresponding to FIGS. 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 but nowshowing the absorbent garment article after loading, e.g., 120 ml ofliquid, and wear.

FIG. 26A is a line drawing showing the body profile of the diaperingarea for an average infant weighing 16-28 pounds (7-13 kg) in a sittingposition.

FIG. 26B is a line drawing showing the body profile of the diaperingarea for an average infant weighing 16-28 pounds (7-13 kg) in a standingposition.

FIG. 27 is a simplified plan schematic view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 1 and generally similar to FIG. 2 and hereincluded to facilitate comparison relative to FIGS. 26A and 26B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as is described in more detail below, provides animproved absorbent article for absorbing body fluids and exudates. Inparticular, absorbent article configurations and constructions inaccordance with the invention desirably provide improvements withrespect to at least one, preferably at least two and, more preferablyall three of the absorbent article qualities or properties of fit,comfort and containment capability for body fluids and exudates. Asdetailed below, absorbent articles, in accordance with at least certainpreferred embodiments of the invention, involve the selection and use ofcertain specified materials in certain specific absorbent articleconstructions.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, absorbent articles, suchas form-fitting, pant-like, personal care absorbent garments, whichdesirably self-form seals between the absorbent article, e.g., the edgesthereof, and the skin of the wearer, at natural body hinge points of awearer are provided. In accordance with another aspect of the invention,there are provided absorbent articles which generally desirably provideor result in improved or increased independence of the components inorder to improve the fit of the articles. In accordance with anotheraspect of the invention there are provided absorbent articles ofspecific construction and which include captured leg elastics thatimprove the garment-like fit at the leg and provide targeted stretch andrecovery in multiple directions without a high degree of pre-tension andrecovery. Captured leg elastics may also desirably simplify either orboth manufacture and production and the costs associated therewith.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a disposableabsorbent article, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of theinvention and generally designated by the reference numeral 20. FIG. 1illustrates the absorbent garment article 20 in a fastened position.FIG. 2 illustrates the absorbent garment article 20 in a simplified planschematic view, showing the surface of the article that faces the wearerwhen the article is worn. As will be appreciated, the absorbent article20 has the general form of a disposable diaper such as adapted to beworn about the lower torso by an infant. It is to be understood,however, that while the invention is described below with particularreference to disposable diapers such as for an infant or a child, thebroader practice of the invention is not necessarily so limited. Forexample, the invention can, if desired, be applied to other forms ortypes of absorbent articles including various disposable absorbentarticles such as are generally configured to collect and contain humandischarges or exudates such as, including, urine and fecal material andwhich articles also desirably avoid leakage of such discharge materials.Other examples of such suitable articles include adult incontinencegarments, training pants and swim wear garments as well as otherpersonal care or health care garments, or the like.

The diaper absorbent article 20 generally includes a chassis 22 andfurther includes or defines a front waist area or region 24 forming afront edge 26, a back waist area or region 30 forming a back edge 32,and a crotch area or region 34 disposed between the front and back waistareas, 24 and 30, respectively. The waist area 24 includes the portionof the diaper 20 which, when worn, is positioned on the front of thewearer while the back waist area 30 includes the portion of the diaperwhich, when worn, is positioned on the back of the wearer. The crotchregion 34 includes that portion of the diaper 20 which, when worn, ispositioned between the legs of the wearer and covers the lower torso ofthe wearer. The diaper absorbent article 20 forms or includes an innersurface 36 which is configured to contact the wearer, and an outersurface 40 opposite the inner surface 36 and such as configured tocontact the wearer's clothing.

FIG. 3 illustrates the general footprint contour 44 of the absorbentchassis 22, shown in isolation with the front waist area 24, back waistarea 30 and crotch area 34 accordingly designated. As shown, suchfootprint contour generally corresponds to the outline formed by thechassis without the inclusion of fastener flaps and the like. Theabsorbent chassis 22 is generally conformable and capable of absorbingor otherwise appropriately retaining body exudates. In general, the sizeand absorbent capacity of the absorbent chassis 22 are selected forcompatibility with the size of the intended wearer and the fluid loadingimparted by the intended use of the absorbent article 20. In accordancewith the one preferred embodiment of the invention, the footprintcontour 44 is, as shown, adapted to match the body contour of theprojected or anticipated wearer of the absorbent article. To that end,it is generally preferred that absorbent chassis used in the practice ofthe invention be narrower in the crotch area 34 as compared to the frontwaist and back waist areas, 34 and 30, respectively. It has been foundthat absorbent chassis for use in the practice of the invention areparticularly useful when the width dimension in the crotch area 34 isfrom about 2.5 to about 10.2 centimeters (from about 1 to about 4inches), preferably having a crotch area width of no more than about 7.6centimeters (3 inches) and, more preferably, having a crotch area widthof no more than about 5.1 centimeters (2 inches). Such crotch widthdimensions for absorbent articles and chassis in accordance with theinvention have been found to generally result in a better fit of theabsorbent article on a wearer, particularly between the legs of thewearer.

To more fully appreciate the invention, reference is now made to FIG.26A and FIG. 26B which are line drawings showing the body profile of thediapering area for an average infant weighing 16-28 pounds (7-13 kg) ina sitting position and in a standing position, respectively, and FIG. 27which is a simplified plan schematic view of the absorbent garmentarticle shown in FIG. 1 and generally similar to FIG. 2. As shown,absorbent garment articles in accordance with the invention desirablyhave or provide a contour which closely matches that of the body of awearer. Various of the advantages resulting or relating thereto are morefully described and detailed elsewhere herein.

Returning to FIG. 2, for ease of reference there are included arrows 50and 52 depicting the orientation of the longitudinal and the lateral ortransverse axis, respectively, for the diaper absorbent article 20.Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the chassis 22 has opposed longitudinal sides54 and 56, respectively, and opposed lateral sides 60 and 62,respectively.

As will be appreciated, the absorbent chassis 22 is desirably generallyconfigured to contain and/or absorb body exudates discharged from thewearer. To that end and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the diaper 20 and,specifically, the chassis 22 includes an outer cover 64 such as serves,at least in part, to form the outer surface 40, and a bodyside liner 66such as serves, at least in part, to form the inner or wearer adjacentsurface 36. The outer cover 64 forms or includes a cover perimeter 67.The bodyside liner 66 similarly forms or includes a liner perimeter 68.The outer cover 64 and the bodyside liner 66 are joined or connected,such as described in greater detail below, in a superposed relation. Anabsorbent core assembly 70, such as shown in FIG. 4 and as described ingreater detail below, is interposed or otherwise located between theouter cover 64 and the bodyside liner 66.

Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, thediaper 20 and, specifically, the chassis 22 includes a pair oflaterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extending containment flap orgasket members, 72 and 74, respectively, such as disposed along thewearer adjacent surface 36 of the bodyside liner 66 and which areconfigured to provide a barrier to the transverse or lateral flow ofbody exudates. The containment flap members 72 and 74 each generallydefine an unattached edge which assumes an upright, generallyperpendicular configuration in at least the crotch area 34 of the diaper20 to form a seal against the wearer's body. Containment flap memberconstructions and arrangements are generally well known to those skilledin the art and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,116 issued Nov. 3,1987 to Enloe, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The diaper absorbent article 20 further includes a pair of oppositelydisposed leg extended elements 76 and 78, respectively, continuous withor otherwise generally laterally extending from either or both the outercover 64 and the bodyside liner 66 of the chassis 22 at the longitudinalsides 54 and 56, respectively, thereof. In such a diaper absorbentelement configuration, the leg cuff elements 76 and 78 desirably serveas leg elastic elements which outwardly extend from the absorbent coreof the diaper article 20. While the invention can be practiced withabsorbent articles which include such leg cuff elements, the inventioncan, if desired, alternatively incorporate and employ an encased orcaptured leg elastic such as described in greater detail below.

As shown in the diaper 20 in FIG. 1, the crotch area 34 and front andback waist areas 24 and 30 together define a three-dimensional pantconfiguration having a waist opening 80 and a pair of leg openings 82.The waist edges 26 and 32 are configured to encircle the waist of awearer when worn and provide the waist opening 80 which defines a waistperimeter dimension.

To further enhance containment and/or absorption of body exudates, thediaper 20 can include waist elastic members 84, as are known to thoseskilled in the art. The waist elastic members 84 can be operativelyjoined to the outer cover 64 and/or the bodyside liner 66, and canextend over part or all of the waist edges 26 and 32.

The diaper 20 also includes a fastening system 86, such as known in theart and such as operatively attached to the outer cover 64 along thelongitudinally extending sides 54 and 56, just below the waist edges 32and 26. As shown, the fastening system 86 can include a pair oflaterally-opposed back fastener tabs 88 that can be fastened directly tothe front waist area or region 24 of the absorbent article 20, as shownin FIG. 1, by suitable means, such as mechanical fasteners, for example.As will be appreciated, other fastener systems or means can, if desired,be used in the practice of the invention and thus the broader practiceof the invention is to be understood as not limited by or to theincorporation or use of specific fastening systems or techniques. Thediaper 20 also includes front flaps or ears 90 such as known in the artand such as may be desired for various reasons such as to better provideor ensure a snug fit of the diaper article onto the torso of a wearer,for example.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a chassis which providesa footprint contour adapted to match the body contour of a wearer of theabsorbent article (as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B) is desirably combinedwith specifically selected materials of construction and articleconfiguration to provide or result in an article that self-forms sealsat natural body hinge points of a wearer. In one preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the outer cover 64, the bodyside liner 66 and theabsorbent core assembly 70 are each formed of materials or constructedto be biaxially extensible and each of the containment flap members 72and 74 comprises a material extensible in at least one of thelongitudinal and lateral directions.

Returning to FIG. 3, the general footprint contour 44 is shown withlongitudinal, lateral and diagonal directions designated by thereference numerals 91, 92 and 93, respectively. While the invention candesirably be practiced to produce absorbent articles which self-formseals wherein the chassis provides various selected degrees ofextensibility and, in at least certain preferred embodimentsstretchability, absorbent articles wherein the chassis can be extendedin the longitudinal direction 91 at least 5 percent and up to 150percent of its original longitudinal length are generally preferred;with absorbent articles wherein the chassis can be extended in thelongitudinal direction 91 at least 15 percent and up to 125 percent ofits original longitudinal length generally being more preferred; andwith absorbent articles wherein the chassis can be extended in thelongitudinal direction 91 at least 30 percent and up to 100 percent ofits original longitudinal length generally being most preferred.Correspondingly, absorbent articles wherein the chassis can be extendedin the lateral direction 92 at least 10 percent and up to 200 percent ofits original lateral length are generally preferred, with absorbentarticles wherein the chassis can be extended in the lateral direction 92at least 25 percent and up to 150 percent of its original lateral lengthgenerally being more preferred, and with absorbent articles wherein thechassis can be extended in the lateral direction 92 at least 50 percentand up to 125 percent of its original lateral length generally beingmost preferred. Further, absorbent articles wherein the chassis can beextended in the diagonal direction 93 at least 10 percent and up to 200percent of its original diagonal length are generally preferred; withabsorbent articles wherein the chassis can be extended in the diagonaldirection 93 at least 25 percent and up to 150 percent of its originaldiagonal length generally being more preferred; and with absorbentarticles wherein the chassis can be extended in the diagonal direction93 at least 50 percent and up to 125 percent of its original diagonallength being most preferred. Absorbent articles with such extensibilityare in sharp contrast to current absorbent articles which have anon-extensible chassis, e.g., have a chassis which can be extended a) inthe longitudinal direction only about 5 percent of its originallongitudinal length, b) in the lateral direction only about 5 percent ofits original lateral length, and c) in the diagonal direction only about1 percent of its original diagonal length.

Further, in accordance with certain preferred embodiments, one or moreand, in certain cases, each of the outer cover 64, the bodyside liner 66and the absorbent core assembly 70 can be formed of materials orconstructed to be biaxially stretchable. For example, in certainpreferred embodiments absorbent articles in accordance with theinvention desirably have longitudinal, lateral and diagonalstretchabilities that generally correspond to the extendibilities setforth above.

Still further, in accordance with certain preferred embodiments, each ofthe pair of containment flap members 72 and 74 desirably comprises amaterial extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral directions.

Yet still further, in accordance with certain preferred embodiments,each of the pair of containment flap members 72 and 74 desirablycomprises a biaxially stretchable material.

Suitable materials for the biaxially extensible outer cover 64 includebiaxially extensible materials and biaxially elastic stretchablematerials. One example of a suitable outer cover material for use in thepractice of the invention is composed of 0.3 ounces per square yard(osy) polypropylene spunbond, necked and creped at about 50% and that islaminated with 3 grams per square meter (gsm) Findley 2525Astyrene-isoprene-styrene-based adhesive to 10 gsm PEBAX® 2533 film andsuch as provides a longitudinal and lateral elongation optimum ofbetween 100%-200% and a tension at 50% extension preferably between50-600 g, with an optimum of between 100-400 g, as measured on 3-inchwide material.

Suitable materials for the biaxially extensible bodyside liner 66include biaxially extensible materials and biaxially elastic stretchablematerials. One example of a suitable bodyside liner material for use inthe practice of the invention is composed of 0.3 osy polypropylenespunbond, necked and creped at about 50% and treated with about 0.7weight percent of a surfactant such as AHCOVEL® from Hodgson TextileChemicals of Mount Holly, N.C., U.S.A.

Suitable materials for the containment flap members 72 and 74 includematerials extensible in at least one of the longitudinal and lateraldirections, materials stretchable in at least one of the longitudinaland lateral directions, materials which are biaxially extensible andmaterials which are biaxially elastic stretchable. An example of asuitable containment flap material is polypropylene spunbond necked andcreped at about 50% with Findley HX 2695 Elastic Barrier Adhesivestrands or slot coated.

For those embodiments which incorporate a leg cuff, a suitable materialof construction for the leg cuffs 76 and 78 which, as described above,generally refers to such wearer leg adjacent portion which extendsbeyond the cover outer edge, is an Elastic Barrier Adhesive such asconstituting 110 gsm Findley HX 2695 adhesive at 750% elongation with0.6 osy prism facings on both sides. Suitable encased leg elasticmaterials for use in alternative embodiments of the invention candesirably constitute such an Elastic Barrier Adhesive without thefacings. Waist elastics used in the absorbent articles of the inventionmay also be formed of such materials. In addition, low tension spandexfibers sold under the trade name LYCRA® available from E.I. du Pont deNemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A., may be used as a suitableleg and/or waist elastic.

The waist elastic members 84 used in the practice of the invention canbe formed of any suitable elastic material. As is well known to thoseskilled in the art, suitable elastic materials include sheets, strandsor ribbons of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or thermoplasticelastomeric polymers. The elastic materials can be stretched and adheredto a substrate, adhered to a gathered substrate, or adhered to asubstrate and then elasticized or shrunk, for example with theapplication of heat; such that elastic constrictive forces are impartedto the substrate. In one particular embodiment, for example, the waistelastic members 84 include a plurality of dry-spun coalescedmultifilament spandex elastomeric threads sold under the trade nameLYCRA®. In another particular embodiment, for example, the waist elasticmembers 84 include Findley HX 2695-01 adhesive laminated to two facingsof 0.6 osy bicomponent polypropylene/polyethylene spunbond.Alternatively, up to about six strands of 310 decitex LYCRA® may be alsolaminated at 250% elongation between the spunbond facings in addition tothe Findley adhesive.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the absorbent core assembly 70, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention and suitable for use inthe absorbent garment article shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As identifiedabove, the absorbent core assembly 70 is desirably formed of materialsor otherwise constructed to be biaxially extensible. Further, inaccordance with certain preferred embodiments of the invention, theabsorbent core assembly is desirably formed of materials or otherwiseconstructed to be biaxially and diagonally stretchable. Those skilled inthe art and guided by the teachings herein provided will appreciate thatabsorbents or absorbent core assemblies used in the practice of theinvention need not necessarily be stretchable. For example, inaccordance with certain embodiments, the absorbent or absorbent coreassembly can be: (1) non-extensible; (2) machine direction (MD)extensible; (3) cross direction (CD) extensible; or (4) biaxiallyextensible.

The absorbent core assembly 70 includes a carrier layer 94, a full padcontinuous layer 96, and a notched absorbent core 100. In theillustrated embodiment, the carrier layer 94 extends beyond theabsorbent region of the assembly 70 to form either or both front andback tails 104 and 106, respectively. The tails 104 and 106 are joinedor attached to the respective front and back waist edges 26 and 32, ofthe bodyside liner 66 and the outer cover 64, respectively (shown inFIGS. 1 and 2). The tails 104 and 106 are generally extensions of orextending from the carrier layer 94 and are transversely discontinuous,such that when bonded to a biaxially stretchable bodyside liner 66and/or biaxially stretchable outer cover 64, the transverse stretch ofthe bodyside liner 66 and/or outer cover 64 are not hindered by any lackof transverse stretchability by the material constituting the carrierlayer 94.

It has been found that through the inclusion or incorporation of notchesin a desired number and pattern or arrangement, absorbent core assemblycomponents which might not otherwise provide or result in desiredproduct stretchability or extensibility can be produced or formed tosatisfy such product design capabilities. Thus, in the illustratedembodiment shown in FIG. 4, the full pad continuous layer 96 is composedof a stretch coform which has notches 108 formed on the sides and themiddle. The notched absorbent core 100 can be suitably formed of asuperabsorbent material meltblown with 10% pulp Pledget which hasnotches 110 located only along the sides thereof.

Those skilled in the art and guided by the teachings herein providedwill appreciate that other suitable means or techniques to providestretchability or extensibility to product components, such as theabsorbent core assembly, can be used if desired and without departingfrom the practice of the invention. For example, the invention can, ifdesired, be practiced employing segmented absorbent materials such asdisclosed in parent patent application, U.S. Ser. No. 09/698,517, filedon 27 Oct. 2000.

While the broader practice of the invention is not necessarily limitedby the manner or means by which such components of such absorbent coreassembly are fastened or otherwise joined to form the assembly, inaccordance with a preferred practice of the invention it is desirable toavoid or minimize the joinder or attachments of components or elementssuch that the components may more freely and independently move relativeto each. To that end, FIG. 5 illustrates the absorbent core assembly 70incorporating ultra sonic point bond seals 120 about the perimeter 122thereof, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention.In accordance with a preferred practice of the invention, bonding orattachment within the interior region 124 is minimized or preferablyavoided.

Point bonding is well known to those skilled in the art. Point bondingpermits materials to extend or stretch between adjacent bond points andthus is a preferred bonding technique for use in the practice of theinvention.

While application of such sonic bonding techniques is currentlypreferred, it will be appreciated that other bonding or joindertechniques can also be used. For example, bonding via an adhesivematerial can be used. Again, such bonding is preferably concentratedabout the perimeter of the assembly and bonding or attachment within theinterior region is minimized or preferably avoided. In those absorbentarticles in accordance with the invention which include or rely on suchadhesive bonding, an adhesive having elastic properties, such as FindleyHX 2695-01 adhesive, may be used.

Individual layers or components of an absorbent article, in accordancewith a preferred practice of the invention, are preferably minimallyattached to other layers or components such as to increase or maximizethe freedom of movement of such layers or components relative to eachother.

As identified above, the outer cover 64 and the bodyside liner 66 ofabsorbent articles 20 in accordance with the invention are generallyjoined or connected in a superposed relation. FIG. 6 is a schematic planview showing component bonding or attachment, in accordance with onepreferred embodiment of the invention, in the absorbent garment article20 described above but now simplified by not showing the containmentflap members 72 and 74 in an effort to simplify illustration andfacilitate comprehension. Bonding or attachment of such containment flapmembers is described in detail below making reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 6 shows bonding or attachment of the components in the absorbentgarment article 20 such as to desirably provide improved or increasedindependence of the components thereof, in accordance with one preferredembodiment of the invention. In particular, the chassis 22 includes aperimeter area 130 and an interior area 132, wherein the perimeter area130 is defined at least in part by the cover perimeter 67 and the linerperimeter 68, described and identified above. In accordance with onepreferred embodiment of the invention, the interior area 132 isdesirably free of bonding. In particular, chassis components are bondedonly in the perimeter area 130. As identified above, a preferred bondingtechnique or method is ultra sonic point bonding. FIG. 6 illustrates aplurality of ultra sonic point bond seals 134 about the chassisperimeter area 130 to bond or join the various components which comprisethe absorbent article. Thus, in accordance with one preferred embodimentof the invention and with bonding or attachment within the interior area132 is minimized or preferably avoided. As discussed above, such pointbonding desirably permits materials to extend or stretch betweenadjacent bond points.

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic plan view showing component bonding orattachment in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the inventionrelative to an absorbent garment article herein designated by thereference numeral 140. The absorbent garment article 140 is generallyotherwise similar to the absorbent garment article 20 described aboveand, as in FIG. 6, simplified by not showing the containment flapmembers.

In the absorbent garment article 140, the interior area 142 againpreferably includes minimal bonding or attachment between componentsand, in accordance with a preferred embodiment, is free of bonding.Bonding or attachment by and between components in this embodiment isaccomplished through a combination of ultra sonic bonds 144 and elasticadhesive bonding 146, such as discussed and described above. Inparticular, both the ultra sonic bonds 144 and the elastic adhesivebonding 146 occur in the perimeter area 148 of the article 140.

Similar to the absorbent core assembly attachment or bonding describedabove relative to FIG. 5, if the application of adhesive bondingtechniques are desired or required in a particular application it isgenerally preferred that the adhesive have elastic properties and beused sparingly. As identified above, if adhesive bonding techniques areused or applied, the use of an adhesive having elastic properties, suchas Findley HX 2695-01 adhesive, is generally preferred. Application ofsuch adhesive might be desired in a location such as the crotch regionof an article and where urine might flow between the bond points of theouter cover, liner and containment flap attachment. Extended leg cuffs149 are also used so the outermost region of the leg cuffs 149 are notaffected by the outer cover or liner.

FIG. 8 shows the absorbent garment article 20 shown in FIG. 6 but nowshowing bonding or attachment of the containment flap members, describedabove and which are not here themselves shown in an effort to simplifyillustration and facilitate comprehension. In particular, thecontainment flap members are secured by means of a combination of ultrasonic bonds 152 and elastic adhesive bonding 154 in the article orchassis perimeter area 130.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and guided by theteachings herein provided, the inclusion or use of such adhesive bondingmay be desired in those embodiments wherein body exudate flow betweenultra sonic bond points is of concern. Thus, application of suchadhesive may be limited to the area about the sonic bond points in thecrotch area of the particular absorbent garment article.

The independence of movement by or between components of the absorbentarticles in accordance with this aspect of the invention can provide orresult in significant product performance improvements. For example, assuch an absorbent article is worn and becomes loaded with body exudate,the absorbent materials contained therewithin are pushed outward towardthe outer cover. Meanwhile, the bodyside liner and containment flapmembers remain in close contact with the skin surface of the wearer.Skin health benefits are realized through minimizing or avoiding skincontact with the wet absorbent.

Further, whereas the components of absorbent articles have traditionallybeen attached, adhered or secured to each other generally over theentire areas thereof using adhesives, bonding and other techniques suchas to increase the overall stiffness of the absorbent article and reduceor eliminate independence of motion therebetween, the independence ofmotion by or between components of the absorbent articles in accordancewith this aspect of the invention can provide improved product fit andimprove customer perceptions of such absorbent articles.

Those skilled in the art and guided by the teachings herein providedwill appreciate that the properties of the component materials can beselectively manipulated such as to regulate or control productperformance, such as to regulate and control the relative movementbetween components. For example, tensions and configurations can beadjusted such that the absorbent material components fill or expanddownward toward the outer cover rather than upward toward the bodysideliner. Same or similar adjustments can be used to assist in maintainingthe bodyside components in close contact with the wearer during walkingor other leg movements. This has been demonstrated in clinical researchstudies, with a diaper loaded with 120 ml of synthetic urine, whereinthe containment flaps and liner stayed in contact with the body, whilethe outer cover expanded to allow for loading and the leg cuffs createda seal. In such a study, participants included infants weighing between16 and 28 lbs. In these tests of the study, the participants atdifferent times each wore:

-   a) a commercial HUGGIES SUPREME diaper and-   b) a diaper having the features of the present invention.    For each product, the diaper was applied and a photograph taken. The    diaper was then loaded with 120 ml of saline solution. The children    were allowed to play for approximately 45 minutes and then the    diaper was rephotographed. (See also the description of FIGS. 11-25    provided herein.)

While the invention has been described above making specific referenceto particular preferred embodiments wherein absorbent articles areprovided which desirably self-form seals at natural body hinge points ofa wearer and such can desirably provide improved or increasedindependence of the components thereof, those skilled in the art andguided by the teachings herein provided will appreciate that theinvention can, if desired, be practiced making use of only certain orselected of the above-identified features. For example, the improved orincreased independence of the components realizable through theinvention can be utilized or applied in article design and manufacturewithout necessarily also incorporating a self-forming seal construction.Similarly, at least certain features of a self-forming seal absorbentarticle construction can be applied without also necessarily applyingthe features of improved or increased independence of articlecomponents.

In addition, at least some of the benefits associated with absorbentarticles such as described above and which desirably self-form seals atnatural body hinge points of a wearer and improved or increasedindependence of the components can be realized by certain embodimentswhich include leg elastic members captured between article componentsand such as may also desirably simplify either or both manufacture andproduction as well as reduce the costs associated therewith.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a disposable absorbent article 160 inaccordance with one such preferred alternative embodiment of theinvention. The absorbent article 160, similar to the absorbent articlegarment 20 described above, has the general form of a disposable diapersuch as adapted to be worn about the lower torso by an infant. It is tobe understood and appreciated, however, that such an embodiment cansimilarly be applied to other forms or types of absorbent articlesincluding various disposable absorbent articles such as are generallyconfigured to collect and contain human discharges or exudates such as,including, urine and fecal material and which articles also desirablyavoid leakage of such discharge materials.

The diaper absorbent article 160 generally includes a chassis 162 andfurther includes or defines a front waist area 164 forming a front edge166, a back waist area 170 forming a back edge 172, and a crotch area174 disposed between the front and back waist areas, 164 and 170,respectively. The front waist area 164 includes the portion of thediaper 160 which, when worn, is positioned on the front of the wearerwhile the back waist area 170 includes the portion of the diaper 160which, when worn, is positioned on the back of the wearer. The crotcharea 174 includes that portion of the diaper 160 which, when worn, ispositioned between the legs of the wearer and covers the lower torso ofthe wearer. The diaper absorbent article 160 forms or includes an innersurface 176 which is configured to contact the wearer, and an outersurface 180 opposite the inner surface 176 and such as configured tocontact the wearer's clothing.

For ease of reference, FIGS. 9 and 10 each include arrows 182 and 184depicting the orientation of the longitudinal and the lateral ortransverse axis, respectively, for the diaper absorbent article 160.Thus, the chassis 162 has opposed longitudinal sides 186 and 190,respectively, and opposed lateral sides 192 and 194, respectively. Inthe diaper absorbent article 160 each of the longitudinal sides 186 and190 and each of the lateral sides 192 and 194 is preferably straight. Aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art and guided by theteachings herein provided the utilization of such a straight-sidedconstruction will typically facilitate manufacture and minimize orreduce scrap losses as such constructions can more practically berealized and repeatedly produced, as typically desired in large scalemanufacture and production.

The diaper absorbent garment article 160 and, specifically, the chassis162 includes a biaxially extensible outer cover 196 such as serves, atleast in part, to form the outer surface 180, and a biaxially extensiblebodyside liner 200 such as serves, at least in part, to form the inneror wearer adjacent surface 176. The outer cover 196 forms or includes acover perimeter 202. The bodyside liner 200 similarly forms or includesa liner perimeter 204. The outer cover 196 and the bodyside liner 200are joined or connected, such as described in greater detail below, in asuperposed relation. An absorbent core assembly, such as described aboveor, alternatively, such as known in the art, is interposed or otherwiselocated between the outer cover 196 and the bodyside liner 200.

In the illustrated embodiment, a non-curved or essentially straight legelastic member 206 is captured between the biaxially extensible outercover 196 and the biaxially extensible bodyside liner 200 at least alongthe chassis longitudinal side 186. Similarly, a non-curved oressentially straight leg elastic member 210 is captured between thebiaxially extensible outer cover 196 and the biaxially extensiblebodyside liner 200 at least along the chassis longitudinal side 190.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this aspect of theinvention, either or preferably both of the leg elastic members isformed of an elastic film material such as composed of Findley HX 2695Elastic Barrier Adhesive (EBA) and such as generally consists of apolymeric composition of white mineral oil, hydrogenated alpha-methylstyrene/styrene resin, styrene-isoprene block copolymer, and aromaticpetroleum hydrocarbon resin. In particular, it will be appreciated thatin such embodiments wherein the outer cover 196 and the bodyside liner200 are each at least biaxially extensible, the capture of suchnon-curved or essentially straight leg elastic members therebetweendesirably results in leg elastics that provide biaxial stretch withoutincurring the manufacturing and production complications associated withconventional curved leg elastics.

As will be appreciated, by completely enclosing such an elastic filmmaterial between the outer cover 196 and the bodyside liner 200 toprovide areas of elasticity in the leg opening regions of an absorbentarticle, a more refined, uniform appearance can be achieved such thatthe absorbent article has a more pant-like form as the absorbent articledesirably no longer includes leg elastic extending from the legopenings.

Further, by eliminating the layer of independent leg elastic and byeliminating the ultrasonic bonds needed to bond the elastic to theabsorbent article chassis, an absorbent article in accordance with theembodiment of the invention provides better conformance to the movementand body shape of the user. The fit and comfort of the absorbent articleof the invention are also improved by the more uniform distribution offorce in the leg openings provided by a planar elastic material.Conventional stranded elastic present in leg elastic materials causesmore localized and intense pressure on the areas of the skin of thewearer with which the elastic comes into contact. By completelyenclosing an elastic film material between an outer cover and a bodysideliner to provide areas of elasticity in the leg openings of an absorbentarticle, a more refined, uniform appearance is achieved; the articlelooks more “underwear-like” as, for example, it no longer has legelastic extending from the leg openings.

Further, the diaper absorbent garment article 160 can desirably produce,supply or otherwise results in self-forming seals, such as describedherein.

The diaper absorbent garment article 160 may additionally include afastening system 220 and waist elastics 222 and 224, as are known in theart.

In addition, from a process standpoint, the in-captured leg elastic ofthis embodiment of the invention provides several advantages.Conventional elastics provide machine direction stretch but not crossdirection stretch. Even EBA, in its presently available form of having afacing, only achieves machine direction stretch. Consequently, currentabsorbent article processes require the leg elastic portion to be curvedsuch that the leg elastic portion is curved around the chassis toreverse the stretch of the uni-directional elastic. Curving is necessaryto provide machine direction stretch in the crotch portion and crossdirection stretch in the upper thigh and hip portion of the absorbentarticle. In addition, incorporation and use of conventional extended legelastics necessitate additional processing steps that could beeliminated by the use of the in-captured leg elastic of the invention.With extended leg elastics, the leg openings must be water-cut twice:(1) chassis is water cut to form the leg opening area between the outercover and the bodyside liner, and (2) leg elastic material must be watercut to give desired contour. Thus, the current process has many andvarious challenges associated with using an extended leg elastic. Forexample, the extended leg elastic must be kept in place between theouter cover and bodyside liner during water cuffing; this registrationbetween the leg elastic and the outer cover/bodyside liner is verydifficult to maintain. Bonding apparatus must be properly registered toform the seam between the extended leg elastic and the outercover/bodyside liner combination. The additional water-cutting,registration and bonding steps of such a conventional process increasethe potential for product defect. These processing steps can desirablybe eliminated by using the in-captured leg elastic process of theinvention.

To enhance an understanding and appreciation of the invention and theadvantages and benefits attendant thereto reference will now be made toFIGS. 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21-25 which depict an absorbent garmentarticle in accordance with the embodiment of the invention heredesignated by the reference numeral 300, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 anddescribed above, and FIGS. 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 which depict a priorart absorbent garment article, designated by the reference numeral 400.

In particular, in FIGS. 11, 13 and 19, the absorbent garment article 300is shown as including front self-forming seals, designated by thereference numerals 302 and 304, respectively, and rear self-formingseals, designated by the reference numerals 306 and 308, respectively,such as the natural hinge points of a body such as at the junctionbetween the body torso and the leg. As shown, the absorbent garmentarticle 300 provides a closer fit unto the skin of the wearer. Further,the absorbent garment article 300 provides a more refined, uniformpant-like appearance, such as may be desired for diaper type absorbentgarment articles. That is, the absorbent garment article 300 can createa fit similar to or corresponding to that such as can normally berealized with underwear.

The improved fit, appearance and containment capabilities of the subjectabsorbent garment article shown in FIGS. 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19, ascompared to the prior art absorbent garment article correspondinglyshown in FIGS. 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20, is evident. Further, FIGS. 21-25show that such improved fit, appearance and containment capabilitiescontinue even after loading and wear as these figures show noappreciable change in appearance of the absorbent garment article 300 asworn on the torso even after loading and wear.

FIGS. 11-15 are drawings rendered based on the photographs taken as partof the previously described research study.

In comparing the fit of the articles illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, thearticle depicted in FIG. 12 shows tension and bunching of the diapermaterials. Further, tension on the diaper has caused the front waist todroop. With articles of the invention, as depicted in FIG. 11, theindependence of the components allows the tension experienced by thediaper components to be dissipated and distributed throughout the wholearticle as opposed to just the fasteners. The construction of thearticles of the invention relieves the stress experienced by thematerials in use. Conventional diapers are oversized to accommodate thetension and forces experienced in use. The elastic properties of thematerials used in the articles of the invention permit the tension andforces to be absorbed without compromising the fit of the article.

In comparing the fit of the articles as viewed in FIGS. 13 and 14, thewaist of the article in FIG. 14 is flipped over. The rear portion of thearticle in FIG. 14 is collapsed down and is bunched up. Further, thearticle in FIG. 14 has no defined leg gasket. The article of FIG. 13,representing an article of the invention, has defined seals around theleg and the waist. When the leg elastics of the articles are pulled backas illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the article of the inventionmaintains its seal around the leg. With the conventional diaperillustrated in FIG. 16, the gasket is undefined; such as to not permit adetermination of whether the material is from the containment flap orthe liner. FIGS. 17 and 18 show the fit of the articles when the leg ofthe wearer is lifted high. The conventional diaper experiencessignificant bunching and the article tries to contort with the movementof the wearer. No such bunching is experienced by the article of theinvention depicted in FIG. 17. The back view of an article of theinvention depicted in FIG. 19 shows the self-forming seal that formsaround the legs of the wearer. As previously described, FIGS. 21-25illustrate that the fit of the articles of the invention is notnegatively impacted when the article becomes loaded.

In view of the above, absorbent article configurations and constructionsin accordance with the invention desirably provide improvements withrespect to at least one, preferably at least two and, more preferablyall three of the absorbent article qualities or properties of fit,comfort and containment capability for body fluids and exudates. Asdetailed below, absorbent articles, in accordance with at least certainpreferred embodiments of the invention, involve the selection and use ofcertain specified materials in certain specific absorbent articleconstructions.

In accordance with at least certain aspects described above, the presentinvention provides an improved absorbent article which desirablyself-forms seals at natural body hinge points of a wearer.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is providedabsorbent articles which generally desirably provide or result inimproved or increased independence of the components thereof.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, there isprovided absorbent articles of specific construction and which includecaptured leg elastics such as may desirably simplify either or bothmanufacture and production and the costs associated therewith.

Those skilled in the art and guided by the teachings herein providedwill appreciate that the self-forming seals and product advantagesrealized through the practice of the invention, such as improved fit,appearance and containment capabilities, for example, are believed dueto one or more contributing factors such as including biaxialextensibility/stretch, diagonal extensibility/stretch, independence ofcomponents, asymmetric shape and avoidance or minimization of bonding,particularly in the interior area of the chassis, for example.

The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practicedin the absence of any element, part, step, component, or ingredientwhich is not specifically disclosed herein.

While in the foregoing detailed description this invention has beendescribed in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and manydetails have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptibleto additional embodiments and that certain of the details describedherein can be varied considerably without departing from the basicprinciples of the invention.

1. An absorbent article adapted to be worn by a wearer, the absorbentarticle including a front waist area forming a front edge, a back waistarea forming back edge, and a crotch area disposed between the front andback waist areas, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis havingopposed first and second longitudinal sides and opposed first and secondlateral sides, the chassis having an original longitudinal length and anoriginal lateral length, the chassis comprising components including; anouter cover forming a cover perimeter, a bodyside liner forming a weareradjacent surface and a liner perimeter, and an absorbent core assemblyinterposed between the outer cover and the bodyside liner, wherein thechassis includes a perimeter area and an interior area, wherein theperimeter area is defined at least in part by the cover perimeter andthe liner perimeter, wherein the interior area comprises all area of thechassis completely surrounded by the perimeter area, and wherein bondingof the chassis is at least predominantly in the perimeter area.
 2. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 wherein chassis components are bonded onlyin the perimeter area.
 3. The absorbent article of claim 2 wherein thebonding of chassis components consists essentially of sonic pointbonding.
 4. The absorbent article of claim 2 wherein the bonding ofchassis components consists essentially of elastic adhesive bonding. 5.The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the outer cover is biaxiallyextensible.
 6. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the outer coveris biaxially stretchable.
 7. The absorbent article of claim 1 whereinthe bodyside liner is biaxially extensible.
 8. The absorbent article ofclaim 1 wherein the bodyside liner is biaxially stretchable.
 9. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 additionally comprising a pair oflaterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extending containment flapmembers disposed along the wearer adjacent surface of the bodysideliner.
 10. The absorbent article of claim 9 wherein each of thecontainment flap members comprises a material extensible in at least oneof the longitudinal and lateral directions.
 11. The absorbent article ofclaim 10 wherein each of the containment flap members comprises amaterial extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. 12.The absorbent article of claim 11 wherein each of the containment flapmembers comprises a biaxially stretchable material.
 13. The absorbentarticle of claim 1 additionally comprising a first extended leg cuffelement disposed at the first longitudinal side and a second extendedleg cuff element disposed at the second longitudinal side.
 14. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can be longitudinallyextended at least 5 percent of its original longitudinal length.
 15. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can be longitudinallyextended at least 15 percent of its original longitudinal length. 16.The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belongitudinally extended at least 30 percent of its original longitudinallength.
 17. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belongitudinally extended up to 150 percent of its original longitudinallength.
 18. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belongitudinally extended up to 125 percent of its original longitudinallength.
 19. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belongitudinally extended up to 100 percent of its original longitudinallength.
 20. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended at least 10 percent of its original lateral length.21. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended at least 25 percent of its original lateral length.22. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended at least 50 percent of its original lateral length.23. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended up to 200 percent of its original lateral length. 24.The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can be laterallyextended up to 150 percent of its original lateral length.
 25. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can be laterallyextended up to 125 percent of its original lateral length.
 26. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 wherein the chassis can be diagonallyextended.
 27. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis canbe diagonally extended to at least 10 percent of its original diagonallength.
 28. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended at least 25 percent of its original diagonal length.29. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended at least 50 percent of its original diagonal length.30. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended up to 200 percent of its original diagonal length.31. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended up to 150 percent of its original diagonal length.32. The absorbent article of claim 26 wherein the chassis can belaterally extended up to 125 percent of its original diagonal length.33. The absorbent article of claim 1 comprising a diaper.
 34. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 comprising a swim wear garment.
 35. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 comprising a training pant.
 36. Theabsorbent article of claim 1 comprising an adult incontinence garment.37. A self-forming seal absorbent article adapted to be worn by a wearerhaving a body contour, the absorbent article including a front waistarea forming front edge, a back waist area forming a back edge, and acrotch area disposed between the front and back waist areas, theabsorbent article comprising: a chassis having opposed first and secondlongitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateral sides, thechassis also providing a foot print contour adapted to match the bodycontour of a wearer of the absorbent article, the chassis including; abiaxially extensible outer cover, a biaxially extensible bodyside linerforming a wearer adjacent surface, a biaxially extensible absorbent coreassembly interposed between the outer cover and the bodyside liner, anda pair of laterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extendingcontainment flap members disposed along the wearer adjacent surface ofthe bodyside liner, each of the containment flap members comprises amaterial extensible in at least one of the longitudinal and lateraldirections and wherein the chassis includes a perimeter area and aninterior area, wherein the perimeter area is defined at least in part bythe cover perimeter and the liner perimeter, wherein the interior areacomprises all area of the chassis completely surrounded by the perimeterarea, and wherein bonding of the chassis is at least predominantly inthe perimeter area.
 38. The self-forming seal absorbent article of claim37 wherein the biaxially extensible outer cover comprises apolypropylene spunbond that is laminated withstyrene-isoprene-styrene-based adhesive.
 39. The self-forming sealabsorbent article of claim 37 wherein the biaxially extensible bodysideliner comprises a surfactant-treated polypropylene spunbond, necked andcreped at about 50%.
 40. The self-forming seal absorbent article ofclaim 37 wherein each of the pair of containment flap members comprisespolypropylene spunbond, necked and creped at about 50% with ElasticBarrier Adhesive.
 41. A self-forming seal absorbent article adapted tobe worn by a wearer having a body contour, the absorbent articleincluding a front waist area forming a front edge, a back waist areaforming a back edge, and a crotch area disposed between the front andback waist areas, the absorbent article comprising: a biaxiallystretchable chassis having opposed first and second longitudinal sidesand opposed first and second lateral sides, the chassis having anoriginal longitudinal length and an original lateral length, the chassisalso providing a footprint contour adapted to match the body contour ofa wearer of the absorbent article, the chassis including; a biaxiallystretchable outer cover, a biaxially stretchable bodyside liner forminga wearer adjacent surface, a biaxially stretchable absorbent coreassembly interposed between the outer cover and the bodyside liner, anda pair of laterally-spaced apart and longitudinally-extendingcontainment flap members disposed along the wearer adjacent surface ofthe bodyside liner, each of the containment flap members beingextensible in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions;wherein the chassis includes a perimeter area and an interior area,wherein the perimeter area is defined at least in part by the coverperimeter and the liner perimeter, wherein the interior area comprisesall area of the chassis completely surrounded by the perimeter area, andwherein bonding of the chassis is at least predominantly in theperimeter area and wherein the chassis can be longitudinally stretchedat least 5 percent and up to 150 percent of its original longitudinallength and laterally stretched at least 10 percent and up to 200 percentof its original lateral length.
 42. The self-forming seal absorbentarticle of claim 41 wherein the chassis can be diagonally stretched atleast 10 percent and up to 200 percent of its original diagonal length.43. A disposable absorbent article adapted to be worn by a wearer, thedisposable absorbent article including a front waist area forming afront edge, a back waist area forming a back edge, and a crotch areadisposed between the front and back waist areas, the disposableabsorbent article comprising: a chassis having opposed first and secondlongitudinal sides and opposed first and second lateral sides, thechassis having an original longitudinal length and an original laterallength, the chassis comprising components including; an outer coverforming a cover perimeter, a bodyside liner forming a wearer adjacentsurface and a liner perimeter, and an absorbent core assembly interposedbetween the outer cover and the bodyside liner, the chassis including aperimeter area, defined at least in part by the cover perimeter and theliner perimeter, and an interior area comprising all area of the chassiscompletely surrounded by the perimeter area, wherein the outer cover andthe bodyside liner are joined together about the chassis perimeter areain a superposed relation and wherein the entire chassis interior area isfree of bonding.
 44. The absorbent article of claim 1 wherein the entirechassis interior area is free of bonding.
 45. The absorbent article ofclaim 37 wherein the entire chassis interior area is free of bonding.